


a kindness of assholes

by tryslora



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College Student Stiles Stilinski, M/M, Pre-Slash, TA Derek Hale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 00:31:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18419093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tryslora/pseuds/tryslora
Summary: Stiles has a problem. Derek provides a solution.





	a kindness of assholes

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a combination of Prompt #323 (Provide) at Fullmoon Ficlet AND the prompt "I’m halfway through university and they changed my financial aid package and now I can’t afford housing." from [writemesomewords](http://writemesomewords.tumblr.com/post/144196095272/im-halfway-through-university-and-they-changed-my).

Stiles walks out of the Financial Aid office feeling like he’s been buried under a ton of bricks. The letter in his hand is crumpled and torn, and for a moment he considers pitching it into the nearest trash. No, someone could pull it out, get his personal information and steal his identity. Having his meager savings stolen would be icing on this particularly shit-tastic cake; he doesn’t need that.

He stops when he gets to the Jeep. He could get in. Go somewhere. Except that takes gas, and right now he doesn’t have the extra cash. He needs to conserve what he’s got so he can get to work, and so he can…

Fuck.

He really needs to find a place to live.

“Hey.”

Stiles ignores the voice, not in the mood for witnessing cheery reunions between other students returning to campus for the fall semester. He has his entire life inside the Jeep, so he yanks the door open, tosses the half-shredded letter on top of the pile on the passenger seat.

When there’s a touch to his shoulder, he jumps, turning to press his back against the Jeep, one hand pressed against his chest to hold in his rapidly beating heart. “What the fuck, dude?”

“I thought you didn’t hear me.”

“I didn’t think you were talking to me,” Stiles replies, trying to keep the shakiness out of his voice. Because that voice wasn’t two students greeting each other. No, it’s his ex-TA from last spring’s history class. Derek Hale. “It’s not like we’re friends.”

“You look like you’ve been chewed up and spit out,” Derek says quietly. He takes a step back, crosses his arms against an unfairly perfect chest. His henley has thumbholes, and Stiles can’t even deal.

“I wanted to make sure you’re okay,” Derek continues, as if he isn’t entirely altering Stiles’s worldview by randomly talking to him in the first place.

“Oh, I’m just peachy,” Stiles snaps. He yanks the door open again, then reconsiders and slams it. The thud sounds good, even if he feels like he should apologize to the Jeep for the impact, especially since it might be about to become home as well as transportation. “I came to this university because I got a scholarship. Full ride, housing included. For the last two years I only had to pay for books and meals and incidentals. But this year, I went to check in to my dorm and I had a letter saying that I’d ignored my tuition statement and I needed to see the bursar, who sent me to Financial Aid, and it turns out they changed my package. So now they’re only covering half my tuition, and nothing for housing, and I can’t even move in because I haven’t paid anything because I must’ve missed the original letter. So I’m screwed. I’m homeless.”

Derek stares at him, silent.

Stiles huffs in frustration, throws his hands up. “See, I knew you didn’t really want to know the details. You don’t even know me. I’m just that annoying guy who sat in the front row at lecture and asked too many questions.”

“You tapped me on the shoulder and constantly asked questions while the professor was lecturing,” Derek says mildly. “That’s pretty memorable. You also turned in a thirty page paper at the end, when the expectation was ten pages, and you included a bonus history of circumcision. For fun, you said.”

“You gave me an A,” Stiles mutters.

“Actually, I recommended flunking you, on principal, for not following the assignment,” Derek says. “Professor Finstock said you had balls and insisted I grade you on the writing only, and the research—for that you got an A.” He hesitates, then adds, “The university does that a lot.”

Stiles can’t follow this leap of logic, which is saying something given how his mind works. “Does what? Gives me an A even though you disagree?”

Derek snorts, a smile flickering before his expression goes flat again and he raises an eyebrow. “Drops financial aid halfway through. The same thing happened to me, and if Professor Finstock hadn’t picked me up as a TA in my junior year, I’d have had to leave. Instead I’m still here and now I’m working on getting my PhD.”

“Oh.” Stiles rolls that around in his mind, following various paths and ideas to different conclusions. “Does that pay for your tuition?”

“Tuition and a stipend for living expenses,” Derek says. “Which means—”

“Is there someplace on campus where they keep a list of professors who need a TA?” Stiles interrupts. “Because in case you didn’t notice, this is dire. But I can handle sleeping in my Jeep for a while if I can just get tuition paid off and know there’s going to be something coming in down the line.” He hesitates, taking a fresh route to an alternate conclusion. “Unless you think I should take your job. With Finstock.”

“That isn’t what I was saying.” Derek’s tone is mild, and both eyebrows are up. Stiles thinks he’s trying to look judgy, but the small twist at the corners of his mouth makes him look amused instead.

“Fine,” Stiles huffs, spreading his hands. “Lay it on me. What are you trying to say?”

“Finstock might be willing to take on a second TA,” Derek says slowly, like he’s feeling his way through the words.

Stiles mimes zipping his own lips; he won’t interrupt.

Derek tilts his head, frowning at Stiles. “We can go talk to Finstock. He’s got a soft spot for people who are down on their luck, and he’s definitely got a soft spot for you. He keeps calling you ‘that Bilinski kid’ and yes, I know that’s not your name. But it’s better than he does with most people.”

“It doesn’t fix my liv—” Stiles cuts off when Derek brings a hand up between them. Stiles motions for him to continue.

“What I was trying to say before is that I’ve got an apartment with a spare room, because my best friend just moved in with his girlfriend,” Derek says quickly. “I’ve already budgeted paying the rent on my own until my sister gets here in the fall; she’s transferring to be with her girlfriend. And I’m saving up in case she decides to ditch me and live with her girlfriend and I need to keep paying for the whole apartment on my own. So. You can have the room for now. If you want.”

If he wants.

Hah!

Stiles bites down on the shout and resists punching his fist into the air. “Hell yes, I want,” Stiles says. He grins at Derek, and Derek’s ears go pink. When Stiles licks his lips, he half thinks that maybe Derek’s paying attention, and well, he’s not going to think about that. Not when he wants this to be a living situation that’s safe and not awkward or someone worrying about coercion. That would be bad.

On the other hand, dishonesty isn’t good either.

Fuck his conscience, it would have to rear its ugly head right now.

Stiles sighs, sagging back against the door to the Jeep. “Okay,” he says, both hands up in front of him in a placating gesture. “I really, really want to take you up on that. But. I just had a thought that would be entirely irresponsible of me to ignore.”

Derek quirks one eyebrow. “Oh?”

“You should probably know I’m attracted to you.” Stiles gestures at Derek, head to toe. “I mean, that’s probably not a shock, given that you’re—all that. Looks alone have to bring all the boys and girls flocking around you. But damn it. You literally just offered me a place to live after I spent an entire semester pissing you off—”

“It was an annoyance. Like a mosquito,” Derek corrects him.

“Still. That offer was _nice_ , and shockingly that’s an even bigger turn on than looks,” Stiles mutters. “So. As much as I’d really like to accept your offer, I have to say no, and go back to the plan of sleeping in the Jeep. Because it’d be rude to sit around your apartment pining or even just lusting after you. But if you can get me an in with Finstock, I’d really appreciate it. And maybe in a week or two this annoying lust for your kind heart will fade, and if you haven’t found a roommate, we can talk again.”

Derek crosses his arms, both eyebrows up now. “Is that it?”

“Is what it?”

“You’re saying you don’t want to live in my apartment because you’ve got a hard-on for kindness,” Derek says slowly. “Is that it?”

Stiles winces because… yeah. “That’s it.”

“I’m an asshole.” Derek’s voice is soft. Flat. He takes a step forward, and Stiles takes a step back, coming up hard against the Jeep’s door. “You’ll figure that out in the first five minutes. And if that gives you a hard-on, too, well, deal with it. You wouldn’t be the first person undressing me with your eyes, and you won’t be the last. Just like I’m probably not the only one to ever have recurring dreams about the evil things you do to a straw with your tongue.”

“With my—what?” Stiles flushes, warm, as he remembers walking into that history lecture every day with an iced coffee. And every day he’d fiddle with the straw while listening, and bugging the TA. Bugging Derek. “So um. You’re saying this is a mutual fascination thing and no one’s going to be putting anyone out, or making things awkward and uncomfortable, just because I’ll be in your apartment.”

“I’m saying that you’ll have your own bedroom, and I’ll have mine,” Derek points out. “And when you’re making money for rent, you’ll start paying your share; I’ll handle it until then. And if anything changes,” Derek motions from himself to Stiles and back again, “we’ll figure it out then.”

Stiles is silent. It’s a rare moment, and Derek looks as confused by it as Stiles feels.

“I’m an asshole, too,” Stiles finally says.

“I hadn’t noticed,” Derek deadpans.

Okay.

So.

Derek is an asshole, who has admitted to being fascinated by Stiles and straws. He’s not Stiles’s TA anymore, might help Stiles get a job, and has a spare bedroom he’s willing to let Stiles use for free.

Stiles is an asshole, who is broke, jobless, and a little desperate, and he still thinks both the assholeishness and kindness of Derek are attractive.

This might actually work.

Stiles walks around the Jeep and opens the passenger door. He rearranges things to make room for one person to mostly squeeze in. It won’t be comfortable, but he’s hoping they aren’t going far. Derek’s place is probably a walkable distance to campus.

He gestures at the seat before he goes back to get into the driver’s side.

“So,” he says, as Derek buckles himself in. “We’re both assholes. With kindness.” He grins. “I’ll clean and do dishes to pay rent until I’ve got money. And I can cook.” That makes it more even, takes away some of the guilt of getting a place to sleep for free. “We’ll be a kindness of assholes.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not the correct collective noun for—”

“It is now.” Stiles doesn’t let Derek finish the thought, because damn it, he likes how it sounds. As the Jeep rumbles to life, Stiles glances at Derek. “Thanks,” he says softly. Seriously. “This means a lot.”

“You won’t be thanking me when you have to deal with Finstock daily.” Derek points down the road to a side street. “Hang a right there. I’ll show you how to get to your new home.”

Stiles has whiplash from how quickly life’s turned around, from homeless to a new place and potential job within a half hour.

It just makes him more certain: a kindness of assholes is exactly the right collective noun.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me (mostly silent) on Tumblr as [tryslora](http://tryslora.tumblr.com) and on Pillowfort as [tryslora](https://www.pillowfort.io/tryslora). I also write original fiction! If you like my fic, you might like my original twice-weekly series [Welcome to PHU](http://welcometophu.tumblr.com) (also mirroring on Pillowfort at [Welcome to PHU](https://www.pillowfort.io/community/WelcomeToPHU)).


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